


The story of the demon and the prophet

by shanimalew



Series: Fictober 2019 [22]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Bible, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fictober 2019, Gen, Golgotha Crowley, Nonbinary Character, Temptation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-31 18:03:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21149915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shanimalew/pseuds/shanimalew
Summary: Crowley must go to the desert to tempt the notorious Son of God, but it doesn't go completely as planned.Aka a new interpretation of the temptation of Jesus.[Fictober 2019, Day 23]





	The story of the demon and the prophet

**Day 23: “You can’t give more than yourself.”**

When Crowley received the assignment to go to the desert and tempt the Son of God, she was beyond scared. She didn’t know what to expect, she had seen this infamous child only once when he was born and at the time he didn’t look that different from all the other crying babies she had the displeasure to see, and hear. But he isn’t a common child, now man, and for all she knew this Jesus could have immense powers that could destroy her with just one look.

So when she finds a figure alone in the desert, assorted in some sort of prayer, she approaches him careful, ready to flee if necessary.

She slithers at the man’s feet, observing how peaceful he looks, as if he is not thousand of steps from civilization and food, and she transforms.

“Hello there, who are you?” asks Jesus, slowly opening his eyes. He stretches his body with slow, thoughtful movements, then he invites Crowley to sit next to him. The demon obliges, sitting at a safe distance.

“I’m Crowley” she says, feeling an excited thrill pass through her at the use of her new name. It’s the first time she says it out loud, and it feels really good. “Heard a mad man was walking and fasting in the desert and I wanted to see it with my eyes”

Jesus laughs.

“Aren’t you hungry after so many days? Wouldn’t you like a piece of bread or a nice, warm soup?” Crowley continues, voice low and provocative. Instinctively she leans towards Jesus, locking her gaze with his. The man doesn’t shy away, as most humans do when they see her snake eyes, and looks at her with the softest expression.

“Man will not live on bread alone, but of every word that comes out of God’s mouth” Jesus replies, smiling at the demon.

Crowley grimaces at the mention of God and returns to her position, keeping her distance.

“You are afraid of me” Jesus remarks, as he closes the distance between them, sitting directly in front of Crowley, their toes touching.

“And you’re not” Crowley replies, briefly looking down at their bodies, then locking eyes again with the man. “You should be. I’m a demon”

“But you’re not going to hurt me, as I will not harm you. I have no interest in causing pain to any of God’s creatures”

“I am not a creature of God” Crowley says, disgusted.

“You are, even if you don’t wish to” 

Jesus then touches Crowley’s bare knee. “Shall we keep moving?” he asks, raising himself and immediately starts walking. 

Crowley raises himself and reaches Jesus, still a bit dazed by the gesture. It’s the first time someone touches her with such kindness, without any ulterior motive or disgust, especially after having told him she’s a demon. 

They keep walking in the desert, stopping only at night to rest and observe the wonderful landscape that surrounds them, and they talk. They talk about the world, politics, faith, the stars and so much more. Every now and then Crowley tempts him, trying to make him turn stones into bread or materialise water; she tries to make him question his journey, his faith, and God’s intention, but to no avail. The man always answers the demon calmly, turning down every temptation. 

Crowley realises, after days spent talking to Jesus, that she could continue talking to this man until the end of times and, for the first time since coming to Earth, she doesn’t mind her assignment. She enjoys this man’s company, whether or not she is going to succeed in her work. 

Jesus is the first person, besides Aziraphale, with which Crowley can have deep, meaningful and not judgmental conversations. They don’t hate her for her doubts or find her annoying for her numerous questions. They don’t cast her away and destroy her for her lack of blind faith instead, they challenge her, trying to make her see their point of view. It’s so refreshing, finding another person with whom have this kind of conversation that Crowley almost wants to cry, wishing, not for the first time in her life, that she could transform into a human.

She’d rather live one single life surrounded by like-minded people than live millennia at the service of Hell.

“You’re quite pensive today, my friend” Jesus says, catching Crowley’s attention.

“Aren’t you tired of walking in the desert by yourself?” She asks instead, pushing her desires deep inside.

“I am not alone, though. I have God and you by my side”

“Well, at least one of us is fun to be with” Crowley replies bitterly. Jesus just laughs at her comment.

For the first time in days, they see something on the horizon. A mountain, the highest Crowley has ever seen in this land. She desperately wants to go there.

“Let’s go there” she immediately says, feeling her skin crawl with want. 

Jesus just changes direction, looking at the demon at his side with a strange expression that Crowley can’t really place.

When they arrive there, Crowley goes to the edge and sits down. She looks around, gaze sparkling with curiosity and wonder.

“Wonderful decision, my dear. This view is breathtaking” Jesus says, sitting down next to Crowley.

“Yeah, we can see all the kingdoms of the world” she breathes out, dazed. 

Everything seems at the same time so far away and so close, like she could touch every single kingdom, every person walking those streets. 

She looks at Jesus, finding the man already looking at her, with the same strange expression as before.

“What” she says warily.

“You are a peculiar demon” he says, but Crowley knows better than to believe him. He has that smile on, the one that means he knows something he doesn’t want to say, like he sees all and understands everything. It kind of irritates Crowley.

Then, he puts his hand on Crowley’s, looking again at the landscape before them. The demon, instead, looks at their hands, still not used to Jesus’s casual touches.

“I could show you all the kingdoms of the world” Crowley murmurs, as the sun started descending on them, their hands still touching.

She doesn’t dare to look at Jesus, too afraid of seeing, before hearing, the answer.

The ‘if you just asked’, ‘if you wanted’, is left unsaid but somehow it still echoes loudly in the land. 

Crowley has always been the type to want things, since before becoming Crowley, or Crawly. She wanted to ask questions, to know. And she never backed down.

She wanted and she needed to get it.

She never stopped to think of the consequences of her wants, for her and for others. If she wanted something she just simply had to get it, whatever it took.

So even today, on that high mountain, she doesn’t stop to think before asking. She doesn’t examine what this want means, for her and her role and why she wants it. She just asks, regardless of the consequences of voicing this want. Regardless of what the answer will mean to her.

“It says” Jesus starts, not once his gaze leaving the horizon “Adore the Lord your God and only worship Her”

Crowley looks at him puzzled, but she knows better than to ask why he’s talking about God when Crowley’s talking about them, because if that’s one thing she has learned in all these days spent with Jesus, is that he knows more than Crowley can even imagine.

They could spend a lifetime together and Crowley would never understand him, not completely, while it only took Jesus one look to understand everything about her.

“You can’t give more than yourself and I can’t accept it” He squeezes Crowley’s hand “But someday someone will, and you won’t even have to ask. Because they have already accepted and given you everything they are”

Crowley doesn’t answer, doesn’t know how to. She feels confused and somewhat betrayed. She failed in her assignment, as she already knew would happen. However, she never thought it would be this painful.

They spend the night in silence, watching the stars shine on the world. When Jesus falls asleep, Crowley gets up, looking at the land and at the man lying near her one last time. Then she leaves the desert.

**Author's Note:**

> This one goes to my top 3 favourite prompts. I loved this idea, I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I loved writing it. Leave kudos and comments if you did! They are always super appreciated <3


End file.
